Are you voting for Planned Parenthood? Dumb question, you are probably thinking. But think again or perhaps read this and then ask yourself the question: Am I voting for Planned Parenthood in the upcoming municipal and provincial elections? I got an email a few days ago from Barbara McAdorey, the editor of LifeCanada News. She sent a web link to the Canadian Revenue Agency (formerly known as Revenue Canada). On that site, http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca, you can access the charitable returns of any group that has a charitable tax number. Of interest to pro-life voters in Alberta are the returns for Planned Parenthood Alberta, Planned Parenthood Edmonton and the Calgary Birth Control Association. All three of these organizations counsel and refer for abortion. They also are active in schools helping to devise sex education programs and as speakers in schools promoting “safe sex” (which means use condoms for all kinds of sexual activities) and in reassuring young people that consensual sex, no matter your age, is healthy whether it is heterosexual, homosexual, bi-sexual or any other as yet to be defined sex. Let’s start with the Calgary Birth Control Association, a proud member of Planned Parenthood of Canada. On its homepage, www.cbca.ab.ca, it asks, “Do you think you are pregnant?” That button takes you to a page of advice, including symptoms of pregnancy and directing you to contact Planned Parenthood or a sexual health clinic. Although it mentions continuing with the pregnancy as one option, it has no referrals to crisis pregnancy centres except those that are pro-abortion. In fact it warns readers to “be aware that some agencies may not provide non-judgmental support around all of your available options. Specifically, you should know that some agencies may say they provide abortion referrals but actually do not support that choice and will attempt to pressure you out of making this choice.” That’s a slam against pro-life agencies even though there are many women who may want that kind of counselling. On the issue of sex education, CBCA proudly asserts that it promotes “tolerance of all forms of sexual expression”. Part of their youth outreach includes distributing “love kits (condoms, lubricant, cards and candy)” at various youth events in the city. Its youth4youth program is co-sponsored by AIDS Calgary Awareness Association, the Gay and Lesbian Community Awareness Association and Planned Parenthood—all the groups I would not want my children hearing from. So why should you care if you live in Calgary? Well, according to the CBCA’s 2002 charitable tax return filed with the Canada Revenue Agency, Calgary taxpayers kicked in $236,544 to support these programs. That’s how much city hall paid on your behalf for the work of this group. In addition, the province handed them $45,539. The group is also funded by United Way, which means if you or your employer contribute to United Way, your money again is going to support this group’s agenda. It’s a similar story for Planned Parenthood Association of Edmonton. On its site it acknowledges the support of the Canadian Health Network (funded by taxpayers through the federal government), the Alberta Lottery Fund (another taxpayer donation courtesy of your provincial government), the United Way and the City of Edmonton’s taxpayer donation. For 2003, the group’s charitable tax return reported revenues of $328,930 from government sources. That included $279,527 from municipal governments, which would include Edmonton and may also include other municipalities in the Edmonton area. It also included $34,246 from provincial taxpayers and $15,157 from the federal government. The Edmonton group also visits many schools and helps train teachers to be “sex positive”. Its site includes a page called “Queer Place” which promotes parenting options for homosexuals, which includes adoption, surrogacy and “alternate fertilization”. Your tax dollars help to promote this agenda too. Finally, you should be aware of your support for Planned Parenthood Alberta. We taxpayers forked over $96,668 to this group in 2003. Happily this was down slightly from the $101,000 we gave them the year before. Here’s part of what your tax dollars support. This is taken directly from Planned Parenthood Alberta’s website: “Pro-choice also means challenging heterosexism - the assumption and belief that everyone is and should be heterosexual - and homophobia - fear and hatred of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and two-spirited. We believe that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirited or transgender is a totally normal and healthy expression of self.” If any of this bothers you, or if you are not comfortable paying for to be taught in the schools or promoted throughout the province, there is something you can do about it. Next week we will be voting for civic politicians and school trustees. Have you paid any attention to the candidates for this election? Do you know who is running in your community and more importantly, what they stand for? If not, you have one week to find out and next Monday vote for those candidates who reflect your views. It would be nice to have municipal councillors who would challenge a budget expenditure of hundreds of thousands of dollars to Planned Parenthood or its Calgary equivalent, the Calgary Birth Control Association. Or school trustees who would question why we send Planned Parenthood into our schools to encourage our kids to be comfortably sexually active. They claim to be interested in reducing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases but they’ve been spectacularly unsuccessful for the past 20 years so why put more money into a failing program? Such challenges will only happen if Albertans elect local politicians who do not support the Planned Parenthood agenda and who have the courage to challenge the status quo. In November, we have another opportunity to send a similar message. The provincial election will be called later this month. Again, we need to elect politicians who will question why money from our education and health budgets is directed to Planned Parenthood programs at both the provincial and local levels. The group also receives lottery funding and other provincial money.
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